Tagged (and more than happy to oblige!)

Wade got me with a 12 Random Things About Christmas meme . . .
1. Christmas is my most favorite time of the year. Seriously there is a magical glow around everything that I see and I am in a land of fairy tales and make-believe about it. Everything transforms into magic to me. The look on my children's faces when they see Santa is what inspires this for me.
2. This year I have been in a funk because I believe that Christmas is slowly slipping away and I haven't enjoyed it to the fullest. I can't explain it well enough in a blog but I am in an almost depressed state because of it. Hard to imagine loving something so much but disappointed because it is slipping away. I know it is hard to understand for me to.
3. I have done about 10% of my Christmas shopping. I know, I know, I know it is the 17th and you can still see my tree skirt. I am forming a plan...
4. My brother-in-law is providing us with the best Christmas surprise. We will be getting to share it with him this year after all. Under very sad circumstances (a family member is dying) Jerry gets to come home 3 weeks early from Iraq.
5. I made Gracelyn's stocking. About 4 years ago I got the GREAT idea that I would make my entire family stockings. Well it was very well planned that each family would have matching stockings and that they would all coordinate with the other families. I made roughly 13 stockings in one sitting. Well 2 of those family members have passed away (grandparents) and I didn't make enough for Renay's family (she had to go and have twins on me) so no one except my parents use their stockings anymore. I still have Gracelyn's though because it was very sweet and girly.
6. Although I would say our house is moderately decorated for Christmas it only took about 2 hours to complete. That includes setting up the tree. We just get in a rut with where things go and if I don't add anything to the decor each year it is very easy to spread things out here and there through the house.
7. I buy each child an ornament each year that I write their name and year on. Gracelyn gets a snowman. Cannon gets Santa and I bought a reindeer to start off Mason! I need to get him a "baby's 1st Christmas" one though like the others have.
8. I collect snowmen. Although I love all decorations from angels to Santas I am partial to snowmen.
9. Wrapping paper all the way baby! I save the gift bags for Cameron. I prefer to give and receive in paper!
10. Cameron gets me a piece of jewelry every Christmas. I have 10 years worth of necklaces, earrings and rings! Thanks babe. That is a good thing!
11. My most favorite Christmas gift was my Baby Alive. I don't know if it was an actual Baby Alive so to speak but it ate and pooped like a real baby.... Soooooooo GROSS but so fun!
12. Jeremy Littlejohn got swats in the 2nd grade for blurting out in the middle of class there was no Santa. I remember thinking that he was going to get coal in his stocking because of it and that he forever changed the way I thought of him. I don't care how cute he was. Stinker face.

Thanks for the tag, Wade!
I'll tag Renay because she always has fun things to say and has been lagging in the posts lately.
... Melissa because she is so hilarious.
... Jill because I want to know how my sweet friend will respond to this. She is so thoughtful in her posts.
... Michelle because there isn't a person I know that has more Christmas decorations than her.
...Jordan because no matter what she writes I am guaranteed to get teary eyed!
Here are the rules:
1. List 12 random things about yourself that have to do with Christmas.
2. Please refer to it as a 'hoopla' and not the dreaded 'm'-word.
3. You have to specifically tag people when you're done. None of this "if you're reading this, consider yourself tagged" stuff is allowed...then nobody ends up actually doing it. The number of people who you tag is really up to you -- but the more, the merrier to get this 'hoopla' circulating through the blogosphere.
4. Please try and do it as quickly as possible. The Christmas season will be over before we know it and I'd like to get as many people involved as possible.